


Level

by Higgystar



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Gen, Kink Meme, M/M, preslash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-09
Updated: 2014-04-09
Packaged: 2018-01-18 19:36:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1440265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Higgystar/pseuds/Higgystar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt from the kink meme: Rick and Daryl lead the group in an equal partnership. This is more preslash than an actual relationship, but I can maybe develop on that in the future if I wish to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Level

No one questions it when Daryl and Rick share a cell.

It seems over the winter months everyone had simply come to accept their new partnership, Daryl had seemed to fill the Shane shaped hole in Rick’s life and give something more that Rick hadn’t even known he needed. The prison had been a godsend and though it had taken the two of them a whole night of nerves and planning to get the group organised enough to safely take it from the walkers, it had been worth every sleepless moment.

Now here they were almost two weeks later with three less members and one new addition.

It had been tough on everyone, but Daryl and Rick had bourn the brunt of the pain as the group’s co-leaders. Rick had been a wreck, mourning in a desperate manner, destroying the walkers left in the tombs, wrecking himself in the process and leaving Daryl to be the glue the group needed to stick together. He’d been able to stick it out and give Rick the time he needed to grieve Lori, to get whatever he needed by being on his own for a while so when he finally returned to them, Daryl knew he had Rick back with them 100%.

When Daryl had found Carol and taken the time to care for her, spending his time helping her regain her strength and feel better from her dehydration and fear, Rick had allowed him all the time he could. They worked well as a team, able to balance each other out and keep the group more stable when one of them was occupied. There was no way the group could work with only one leader, they needed the both of them to keep the boat from sinking and to be there when one of them was unable to stay strong.

It’s been a few days after the incidents and everyone was beginning to slip into their roles again, finding their own footholds in the prison and filling the jobs that needing doing. The evening is drawing in, the sun setting and making the cells a nice cool place to try and get some sleep. Daryl knows that Rick is still on edge, he can see it in how tense he is and with how many questions he keeps asking. Suddenly having a stable place to be is a big difference from what they’re used to and Daryl knows that Rick is already planning for the next disaster that will strike them.  

“We got enough supplies for the next week?” Rick asks, lying face down on their bunk, resting his chin on his folded arms and though he’s meant to be relaxing and getting some rest, Daryl knows his mind is going a mile a minute.

Giving a small sigh of annoyance at the continuing questions Daryl nods from where he lay, propped up against Rick and rechecking each of his arrows one by one. “Yeah, Maggie and I have enough for the baby, we’ve got some meat saved and I reset the snares this morning so we should have some more soon enough. We’ve still got seventeen cans of ‘lucky dip’ left so we should be okay for a while.” He’d doubled checked their supplies and reorganised it all between watches.

Beneath him Rick is still tense, and seemingly desperate to find a problem that they need to fix right now. “We get rid of all the stragglers?”

Pressing back a little against his partner, Daryl tries to let him know how fucking annoying it was to not be trusted to be taking care of things. “It’s all clear Rick.” He insists, pressing his elbow back to dig into Rick’s spine, a little jab to let him know. “I triple checked. You need to stop worrying. I know it’s tough, but we’re safe and prepared for the next week or so.”

“I don’t want anyone leaving the prison until everything is fixed.” Rick wriggles, shifting and reaching up behind him to swat at Daryl as well as he can from his position. “Every fence needs to be rechecked, all doors we aren’t sure what they block need to be locked, I want this place so secure a cockroach couldn’t get in without my say so.”

Breathing heavily through his nose Daryl takes a moment to try and calm the bubble of frustration within himself. Fidgeting with his arrow he stabs it at the grout in the wall, crumbling it easily and dusting it off the sheets.

He knows Rick is trying his hardest and that when it comes down to it they may both be the leaders of the group, but Rick was the top dog with him as his second. It worked well for them and with their relationship as leaders developing, he knew whatever this personal thing was between them was developing also. He hasn’t felt this comfortable around someone else in a long time, not since before Merle got on the drugs and was actually a half decent brother.

This is different though. He’s finding it to be a different kind of comfort when he’s in Rick’s presence and though he’s still wary of a lot of things, Rick’s touch isn’t one of them. He’s not saying he and Rick are going to be holding hands and skipping through the daisies, but being like this, how they were now pressed against each other in a small space, doesn’t make him feel on edge like it used to. It’s not much, but for the moment it’s enough and it works for them.

Patting at Rick’s side to try and ease his panic, Daryl sets aside the arrow and rolls to lie across Rick’s back, so when he speaks he can see the side of Rick’s face and know it was being heard. “Rick, it’s done. It’s going to take work, you know stuff like this doesn’t happen overnight but we’ll get there. We’ve secured plenty of places over the winter and we can do this too. It’s just a little bigger, that’s all.” He truly believes that they’ve got this covered and that here in the prison is a chance for all of them to survive.

“But what if something like that happens again Daryl?” It seems Rick’s worries won’t be quelled right now and the frustration is beginning to get too much to deal with when Daryl really wanted to get some rest. “We can’t be everywhere all the time, we need back up plans and back ups on those back ups just in case. When something goes wrong we need a plan of action for escape to keep us all safe.”

Grumbling to himself Daryl lets his head fall forward to thump between Rick’s shoulder’s, speaking against the fabric of his shirt and stopping himself from strangling his partner. “And what if God sends the other nine plagues to curse us all?” He muses, poking at Rick’s ribs in jest, trying to get him to relax for just a moment at least. “I’m all for being prepared Rick, but we’re not going to start carrying around umbrellas just in case it starts raining frogs. You’re doing a great job Rick, we’re all here because of you and we all appreciate it.”

“No.” Rick replies and Daryl sighs again. He’s never been good at reassuring people and right now Rick was being so difficult to handle. But his next words surprise him and when Rick reaches up to card his fingers through Daryl’s hair, he doesn’t flinch at all. “We’re here because of us. I couldn’t have done it without you Daryl, we’re a team and if it weren’t for you being here, helping me I don’t know what would have happened.”

It’s a serious issue the thought of losing Rick, but one he doesn’t want to contemplate so Daryl closes his eyes against Rick’s shoulder and lets his body relax for a moment. He feels the same way about the other man, he knew he wouldn’t be the man he was today if it weren’t for Rick’s confidence in him and allowing him a chance that no one else had. He owed Rick everything, and wasn’t exactly sure how to repay him. Settling against Rick’s back he gives a small huff of air and a yawn before getting comfortable to sleep.

“Well I am here, so don’t go asking more what ifs, your bitching is keeping me up more than your daughter’s crying.” He huffs, feeling Rick’s body vibrate beneath him as his partner relaxes enough to laugh at his poor attempt at humour. That small hint of success is enough for him and when he feels Rick settle further into the sheets and give a sigh, he knows he’s done enough.

“That’s it, you’re on night feeds tonight.” Rick responds through a yawn, giving one last ruffle to Daryl’s hair before his arm flops back to pillow his head.

“Screw you.” Daryl snorts, burying his face further into Rick’s shoulder and letting himself give in for a few hours of actual sleep, glad that Rick can’t slink off to do more work whilst he’s pinned beneath his weight. It was a failsafe really, nothing more than that. Just a failsafe.


End file.
